Wheel-hub.



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llrrrrnn drittes Partnr ROBERT F. A. MACKINNON, OF CENTRALIA, VISCONSIN.

W H E E L- H U B SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,823, dated July 11, 1899;

Application filed July 26, 1898. Serial No. 686,946. (No model.)

To zr/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT F. A. MACKIN- NON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Centralia, in the county of Wood and State of Wisconsin, have invented anew and useful Vheel-I-Iub, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheel-hubs, and it has for its object to provide improved means for banding a Wooden hub body or block in such a manner as to strengthen and brace the entire hub, as Well as the tenon ends of the spokes fitting in the spoke-mortises, while at the same time providing for completely covering the entire exterior surface of the hub body or block, so as to leave no portions of said body or block exposed to the action of the weather, it being well understood in the art that the action of the sun and rain, especially in hot Weather, frequently causes wooden hubs to rot, and thereby become materially weakened.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a Wheel-hub provided with the improvements contemplated by the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a central cross-sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing one of the spokes fitted in place. Fig. l is a detail in perspective of one of the metallic strengthening-bands for the hub body or block.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a cylindrical hubbody of the usual configuration, and which hub-body may be either of a solid or sectional construction, either of which constructions can be readily fitted with the improvements forming the subject-matter of the present application. The cylindrical hub body or block l is provided intermediate its ends with a circular series of spoke-mortises 2, separated by the triangular mortise-partitions 3, having inwardly convergent sides with their fiat bases disposed at the outer side of the hubbody. The outer ends of the mortiseparti` tions 3 project beyond the periphery of the hub-body, so as to produce at opposite sides `block l is'designed to have fitted thereon at opposite sides of the series of ,spoke-mortises the metallic strengthening-bands 6, preferably form ed of castings of a slightly-less diameter than the normal exterior diameter of the hub body or block, to provide for a tight wedging lit of the bands on the hub-body when forced thereon. The metallic strengtheningbands 6 conform in shape to the exterior curvature of the hub-body and are of a length equaling the distance from the annular restshoulders lat the ends of the mortises to the outer ends of the lbody, so as to completely cover the exterior surface of said body., and thereby leave no portion thereof exposed to the action of the weather.

The elongated strengthening-bands 6, which Alit over the entire exterior surface of the hubbody at each side of the series or row of mortises, are placed on the hub-bodyby heavy pressure, so that as the same are forced in place up to the shoulders 4 the Wooden body 'of the hub will be necessarily compressed,

thereby insuring a tight wedging iit of the band on the body. To insure a proper positioning of the bands 6, the latterare provided on theirinner sides with inwardly-projecting longitudinally-disposed guiding and bracing ribs '7, which slide into the longitudinallydisposed retaining-grooves S, formed in the exterior surface of the hub body or block, so it will be seen that the ribs 7 and grooves 8 perform a double function-namely, to properly guide the bands into position on the hubbody and to brace the said bands against axial slipping under undue strain.

In the practical use of the invention it is preferable'to employ only a pair of the ribs and grooves 7 and 8, and in order to insure a proper guiding of the strengthening-bands into position and also a uniform bracing thereof the said ribs, as Well as the grooves IOO 2 eaase in which they t, are of a length equaling the length of such bands, as plainly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

When the bands (i are fitted on the hubbody, the same are forced to a position so as to bring their inner edges against the annular rest-shoulders 4 at the ends ofthe spokemortises, and at said inner edges the said bands are provided with a peripheral series of radially-disposed offstanding brace-lugs 9. The brace-lugs 9 are provided with flat inner faces 10, and are spaced at regular distances apart, equaling the distance between the spoke-mortises, and said brace-lugs 9 are arranged directly at the ends of the spokemortises, so as to form outward continuations thereof and rest fiat against opposite sides of the spokes,tl1ereby providing for an extra long tenoning of the spokes and the hubs. The brace-lugs 9 of the opposite strengtheningbands 6 are arranged diametrically opposite eachother in the same 'arrangement as disclosed in my formerpatent,No. 583,651, and between the braceelugs the strengthening-bands are further provided with dovetailed seats or notches 11, in which are rigidly secured the dovetailed tongues l2 at the opposite ends of lthe flat metallic tie-plates 13.

The tie-plates 13 are arranged Iiat on the outer ends or bases of the mortise-partitions, and by reason of their rigid connection with the bands between the brace-lugs thereof provide nieans for permanently securing said bands against the rest-shoulders 4 and preventing longitudinal displacement thereof.v The said tie-plates 13 are narrower in width than the ilat outer ends of the mortise-partitions, on which they rest, and are provided with beveled longitudinal side edges 14, with which beveled edges register the shoulders l5, formed at opposite side edges of the tenons 1G of the spokes 17, said shoulders of the spokes also resting on the projecting edges of the m ortise-partitions, at the outer ends thereof, thereby completing a structure in which every portion of the wooden hub body or block is completelycovered and protected from exposure to the weather.

sential feature of the construction, to insure a covering up of every portion of the wooden hub-body when the spokes are assembled in place, as shown in Fig.

Y While the essential features of the invention have been specifically pointed out, it will be understood that changesin the form, propor-` tion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

In a wheel-hub, the hub-body provided with a series of spoke-mortises, vand annular restshoulders at opposite sides of the series of l'nortiscs, metallic strengthening-bands fitting the entire exteriorsurface of the hub-body at opposite sides of the series of mortises and bearing against said rest-shoulders, said bands being provided at their inner edges with offset brace-lu gs lying at the ends of the niortises, tie-plates connected at their ends with the opposite bands between the lugs thereof and resting flat on the mortise-partitions and of a less width than the latter, said tie-plates having beveled side edges, and the spokes whose tenon ends are provided with side shoulders registering with the beveled edges of the tie-plates and the adjacent edges ofthe inortise-partitions, substantially as set forth.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT F. AIMACKINNON.

'Vitnesses:

F. H. JACKSON, W. G. SoHRonDnL. i 

